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Remembering Dickie Walters Dear Environmental Colleague Lamar Smith, Kevin Moody (FHWA Resource Center); Claiborne Barnwell, (MS DOT)

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Remembering Dickie Walters Dear Environmental Colleague Lamar Smith, Kevin Moody (FHWA Resource Center); Claiborne Barnwell, (MS DOT) Volume 6, Issue 2 SPRING 2010 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Remembering Dickie Walters Dear Environmental Colleague Lamar Smith, Kevin Moody (FHWA Resource Center); Claiborne Barnwell, (MS DOT) Greetings readers and welcome to the spring edition of the Environmental Quarterly. I would like to take this space to recognize a couple of individuals and wish them well in their new adventures. FHWA is losing two of its finest environmental folks. Carol Adkins (HQs) and Steve Thomas (Arizona Division) are saying so long to FHWA this year. In fact, by the time this is published I believe Carol will already be relaxing leisurely by the pool. Steve takes his leave in June and I’m sure has lots of interesting plans that don’t involve us. I imagine he is already letting his We are extremely saddened to have to tell you about the untimely hair and beard grow in preparation for his new passing of Dickie Walters of the Mississippi Division Office, who life. I have known and worked with Steve and Carol for many years and can tell you that both passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2010. He passed away while of them are dedicated professionals and jogging, a sport he truly loved. Dickie was extremely well liked by fantastic people. For more than 30 years, everyone who knew him. Upon learning of Dickie’s death, Pam Carol calmly and thoughtfully considered the Stephenson, ADA in the DC Division, referred to him as a true southern best interests of the agency and the gentleman. For those of us from the south, we know this to be a great environment in everything she did. Steve and I honor. Dickie was known for the joy and fun he created wherever he spent many hours discussing how things would went. Colleagues and friends will very much miss his remarkable be better if they would just listen to us. We will personality. He loved to share the great things in life, his keen sense of miss you Steve and Carol but are happy for humor, and his devotion to his wife Janie, an internationally known you. Good luck Carol. Good luck Steve. Keep motivational speaker and author. in touch, please. Sincerely, Dickie was a global traveler. He particularly enjoyed Colorado for Lamar Smith skiing and Europe for the fine food and drink. He was well known for Environment Technical Service Team Manager his discerning enjoyment of Italian greyhounds, fine food, and great & Editor–in-Chief cigars. Locally, he was known as an aficionado of the Dinner Bell diner Phone: (720) 963-3210 in McComb, MS. The Dinner Bell is one of those places where 10 to E-mail: [email protected] 12 people, often strangers, gather around a large round lazy-Susan style table, and eat family style. He could not get enough of their fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, and other traditional southern dishes. Continued on page 2. FHWA Resource Center Environment Technical Service Team Continued from page 1. INSIDE Dickie’s professional life was shaped around public Answers to NEPA Quiz Questions (and NEW involvement and doing right by the public. He questions to answer)…p. 3 believed very strongly that the public should be Best Practices in Addressing NPDES and Other informed about, and engaged in public agency Water Quality Issues…p. 4 proposals and decisions. He was an aggressive Summit Focuses on Air Quality…p. 5 proponent of public involvement in all projects. th After working many years as a civilian 40 Anniversary: NEPA Recollections…p 6 environmental program staffer at Keesler Air Force 2010 US DOT Tribal Consultation Plan…p. 8 base in Biloxi, MS, Dickie came to the FHWA. He How Swiss Bikers Saved the Blues…9 worked with us for nearly 10 years as a valuable Environmental Calendar…p. 11 team member who demonstrated a great deal of commitment to the Agency and its mission. As an Environmental Protection Specialist in the Mississippi Division, he skillfully dealt with environmental issues and provided expertise in advancing environmental stewardship and streamlining project delivery. His guidance was instrumental in getting the concept of context sensitive solutions mainstreamed into the project development process. He was also adept at cultivating professional relationships with state and other Federal agencies involved in the environmental decision-making process. In particular, he developed a strong alliance with the American Indian Tribes. Dickie was simply one of the best. His colleagues and counterparts knew that they could count on his expertise and selfless dedication. They thought of him not only as an expert in his field, but also as a friend. He will be sorely missed. On behalf of the Mississippi Division Office, the Resource Center Next NTAQS to Be Held This Summer in Environment Technical Services Team, and the entire FHWA Environmental Discipline, we wish to Cambridge, MA express our deepest sympathy and best wishes to his family, friends, colleagues, and to the public who The Northern Transportation Air Quality Summit 2010 has lost a great ally. (NTAQS 2010) will be held August 24-26 at the Cambridge Marriott in Cambridge Massachusetts. NTAQS, like the Southern Transportation Air Quality Summit (STAQS), is held every two years to discuss current and coming regulatory environment, technologies Interested in receiving the Cultural and current practices vital to the field of air quality and Resources Bulletin, a publication of transportation. Topics such as conformity, the CMAQ the Maryland DOT? Program, modeling and analysis associated with conformity and project analysis, revision of air quality Contact Nichole E. Sorensen-Mutchie, standards, climate change, and other issues relating to air M.S, RPA at 410-545-8793 or quality, the environment and planning are covered. [email protected]. NTAQS 2010 may also provide an opportunity for training, depending on the time available. For additional The Winter 2010 edition is available now. information, contact Kevin Black at 410-962-2177 or [email protected]. 2 predecessor of NEPA), Senator Gaylord Nelson of NEPA Quiz Answers Wisconsin (principal founder of Earth Day), Senator Lamar Smith, FHWA Resource Center Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson of Washington (perhaps the notable figure of all), Senator Edmund Muskie of In the last issue of the EQ I proposed three trivia Maine, and Congressman John Dingell of Michigan. questions regarding the National Environmental As their association with environmental issues and NEPA varies, each deserves credit in some way with Policy Act of 1969. The questions were more fun than informative. Thanks to those that took the time the establishment of our existing national environmental policy. The “Father of NEPA”, not only to answer or guess at the questions but also to send your responses to me. I enjoyed however is generally considered to be Lynton Caldwell. In 1968 Mr. Caldwell as a consultant for reading and talking to some of you about them. I hope others at least considered the questions and Senator Jackson drafted a White Paper entitled, A did a little research. The history of NEPA and how it National Policy on the Environment, which was the came to be is quite interesting and spans more than starting point of what would be discussed, debated, five decades. negotiated and eventually become the National Environmental Policy Act. Lynton Caldwell believed As a reminder, the questions I posed were: 1) Why that more was needed than a mere policy statement did President Richard Nixon sign the Act on January and that an “action-forcing mechanism” would help 1, 1970 instead of earlier as he had planned, and secure Federal agency compliance with the NEPA where did he sign it? 2) Who has been given the Section 101 goals. The action forcing mechanism honor of the title, the “Father of NEPA”? 3) Who would become the detailed statement that was appointed the first Chairman of the Council on eventually became the environmental impact Environmental Quality? As promised, the answers to statement that we are all so familiar with. So, while the questions, at least according to me, follow. often thought of as the Father of NEPA, others have honored him as the “architect of the environmental It’s interesting how different individuals and impact statement.” Not that it really matters but organizations have recorded Nixon’s reaction to and there is evidence that his idea was never realized. support of the environmental movement and NEPA. Some sources report his endorsement as reluctant The last question was the easiest of the three. The and political. Others suggest or claim that he had a first Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality was Russell Train. I did not have the pleasure of sincere concern for the environment and celebrate his action as that of the “Environmental President.” meeting him personally, but Fred Skaer (a mentor Regardless of what is written or what we of mine, among other things) did at a function individually believe, the fact remains that for what several years ago and acquired for me an ever reason or motive, President Nixon signed NEPA autographed copy of his book, Politics, Pollution, into law on January 1, 1970 and launched the and Pandas: An Environmental Memoir. The inscription reads, “For Lamar, Best wishes to a NEPA “environmental decade”. As he remarked at the careerist!” It is a prized possession. signing, "It is particularly fitting that my first official act in this new decade is to approve the National Environmental Policy Act". NEPA was the first law Much history has been written on NEPA and the passed in 1970, signed at 10 am on New Years Day events surrounding its creation. If you are in his office at the Western White House in San interested, all you have to do is visit the World Wide Clemente, CA.
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